Fish stringer retainer



Nov. 9, 1948. L ORTON I 2,453,381

- FISH STRINGER RETAINER Filed April 27, 1945 Patented Nov. 9, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FISH STRINGER RETAINER Kenneth L. Orton, St. Paul, Minn. Application April 27, 1945, Serial No.. 590,534

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to fish stringers.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a fish stringer composed of a conventional elongated'fiexiblerope or the like and means for removably retaining the same so that the stringer can be readily secured in and released from its receiver to facilitate the stringing and securing of fish on the stringer.

A more specific. objector the: invention is to provide a socketed receiver for the end of a flexible fish stringing element wherein the receiver is provided with a spring pressed catch adapted to engage the elongated stringer element, and wherein the catch can be readily released with the same hand which is also in position to grasp the end of the stringer element when it is thus released.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Figure 1 is a. plan view of a stringer and catch equipped receiver therefor with portions of the receiver broken away and in section;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the socketed stringer receiver taken at right angles to the showing in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line 33 of Fi ure 1.

In Figure 1 there is shown a stringer element 4 which is generally made of a relatively light strong piece of rope or heavy cord. On one end of the stringer rope is a loop 5 and on the other end is an elongated metal needle 6 having a slot I formed therethrough.

An elongated generally tubular stringer point receiver 8 is provided with an open lower end as viewed in the drawing, and its upper end may be closed and provided with an eye 9 by means of which the member 8 can be secuerd to a suitable support.

Secured to the upper end of the stringer point receiver 8 is a leaf spring I0 fastened to said receiver 8 by suitable means such as a rivet II. It will be seen in Figure 1 that the. spring I I] extends downwardly and outwardly relative to the stringer needle receiver 8. On the outer end of v the leaf spring III is secured a catch I2 which, as viewed in Figure 1, extends to the right past the receiver 8, and said catch I 2 is then bent upon itself to provide a catch tooth I3 having a straight edge I4 and a curved edge I5. The tooth I3, as

2. indicated in Figure 1, extends through an aperture IS in the side wall of the socketed member 8.

Referrin to Figure 3, it. will be seen that the. socketed member 8; while generally cylindrical, has opposite flattened. Wall portions I? and I8, and that the metallic stringer. needle 6 isshaped, similarly so that when said stringer point is inserted. in the receiver 8 the slot I in the stringer point 6 will register with the aperture I6'i'n said receiver when the needle 6 has been pushed into the receiver a proper distance.

In use the first fish mounted on the stringer cord 4 is slipped down to a point adjacent the eye 5 on one end of the stringer cord and the pointed end of the stringer is then run through the eye 5 and that end of the stringer carrying the eye 5 can then be trailed in the water so that the fish will be kept alive. When the fish has been attached to the stringer the needle I5 is then inserted in the socketed receiver 8 and when it contacts the catch tooth I 3 the stringer needle will bear against the rounded edge I5 of the tooth I3 and force said tooth to the right against the action of the spring I0, permitting the end of the stringer needle to slide past the catch tooth I3. When the slot I in the stringer needle 6 registers with the aperture I6 in the receiver 8, the spring pressed catch tooth I3 will slip into the slot 1 in the stringer needle, and the straight edge I4 of the catch tooth I3 will retain the stringer point in the socketed receiver 8 against accidenta1 displacement. Insertion of the stringer needle as described above is extremely simple as it can be pushed into the socket with one hand and the catch tooth I3 will automatically find its way into the slot in the stringer needle.

When it is desired to release the stringer needle from the receiver 8, it is necessary only to press on the end of the spring III or that portion of the catch I2 which is secured to the spring I 0, and the catch tooth I3 will be moved from the slot I in the stringer needle whereupon said needle can be readily slipped from the receiver. The structure is simple yet highly efiective and easy to manipulate, and it greatly facilitates the securing and releasing of the stringer when it is desired to add a newly caught fish to the stringer.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a fish stringer, an elongated flexible stringer element having a needle on an end thereof, a, socketed member for removably receiving said needle on said stringer element, a, catch mounted on said socketed member and movable into said socketed member transversely of the latter to engage said needle, and a spring device exerting a force outwardly from said socketed member and so connected to said catch device as to yieldably urge said catch device into said socketed member and into engagement with said needle to suspend and support said stringer element.

2. In a fish stringer, an elongated flexible stringer element having a needle on an end thereof, a socketed member for removably receiving said needle on said stringer element, a catch mounted on said socketed member and movable into said socketed member transversely of the latter to engage said stringer element, and a spring device on the opposite side of said socketed memher from the point of interior of said catch device into said socketed member, said spring device being connected to said catch to yieldably urge said catch into said socketed member and into engagement with said needle to suspend and support said stringer element.

3. The structure in claim 2, and the connection between said spring device and said catch being substantially rigid.

4. In a fish stringer, an elongated flexible 4 stringer element having a needle on an end thereof, a socketed member for removably receiving said needle on said stringer element and having an aperture in the side thereof, a, catch having a portion entering said aperture in said socketed member and having another portion extending exteriorly of said socketed member and laterally therefrom at the opposite side of said socketed member from said aperture in said socketed member, and a spring device mounted on said socketed member at the opposite side thereof from said aperture, said spring device being connected to said second mentioned laterally extending portion of said catch and yieldably urging said laterally extending portion of the catch outi wardly and at the same time yieldably urging said first mentioned portion of said catch into said socketed member and into engagement with said needle to suspend and support said stringer element through the aperture therein.

KENNETH L. ORTON.

' REFERENCES CITED v The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS i Number 

